Elvis events to mark 30th anniversary

Events to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley will kick off this week, with thousands of fans expected to take part in a candlelit vigil at the singer’s Graceland mansion on Wednesday. The gathering, which will be broadcast live by the Elvis Radio channel on Sirius Satellite in the US, is tipped to draw some 50,000 people The singer’s ex-wife Priscilla and members of his former band will perform at concerts in Memphis and for the first time a competition for Presley sound alikes has been backed by the singer’s estate. Judge Joe Moscheo, who played with the star in Las Vegas, said: “There have been impersonators of all shapes and sizes and nationalities for years, but the estate never recognised them.” He added: “They didn’t want anything to do with the guys with the wigs with the sideburns. They thought it cheapened the image. Now they look at it and say ‘if they’re going to be out there, let’s control the thing’.” Presley died at Graceland in 1977 at the age of 42; the 30th anniversary will fall on Thursday.